Dippenaar shines in exciting finale

South Africa A 296 for 6 (Dippenaar 113, Kemp 79*, Walmsley 3-46) beat New Zealand A 292 (Bell 53, Fulton 98, Hall 4-62) by four runs
Scorecard

Boeta Dippenaar made his intentions quite clear to the National Selectors by scoring a career-best 113 to help South Africa A win a thrilling game against New Zealand A at SuperSport Park in Centurion in the last encounter of the three-match series.

Dippenaar, passing 4,000 List A career runs, went to his fourth limited-overs hundred with an array of glorious cover drives before being trapped lbw by Kerry Walmsley. Coming to the crease with South Africa in trouble, he showed his experience with a well-paced innings, accelerating when needed, and hitting 13 fours and two sixes along the way.

Peter Fulton, surprisingly playing his first one-day game of the tour, took New Zealand to the brink of victory with a superb 98, before he was bowled in the 48th over. His runs had come off 102 balls, but after his dismissal five more wickets fell for nine runs in only nine balls, and South Africa A pulled off a close win.

After winning the toss, Chris Martin, back from a deserved rest, got New Zealand off to a good start by picking up the early wickets of both openers, Morne van Wyk caught behind without scoring, and Andrew Hall bowled off his pads for eight.

From the position of 15 for 2 after in the eighth over, Dippenaar and Ashwell Prince, the captain, batted South Africa back into the game with a patient 90-run partnership in 18.3 overs. Tama Canning, the star of the Wanderers match, made the breakthrough when he knocked Prince's leg stump back for 37. But Dippenaar kept the initiative with another good partnership with with Neil McKenzie, who hit 35 at nearly a run a ball.

The platform had been set. At the Wanderers it had been Albie Morkel who launched an assault in the closing overs, and today it was the turn of Justin Kemp. Taking full advantage of anything loose, Kemp powered his way to 50 in 33 balls, and finished undefeated on 79 off ony 45 as South Africa amassed 296 for 6.

New Zealand were quickly on the back foot with the loss of Jamie How for four, but Matthew Bell, their captain, and Mathew Sinclair got the innings back on track with some aggressive strokeplay. But Sinclair fell on 19, and Bell's aggression eventually got the better of him, as he was well caught at point for 53 - an innings that included six fours and two sixes.

Fulton and Lou Vincent kept New Zealand in the chase with a fifty partnership, and Fulton went to his own half-century from only 58 balls. Two fours and a big straight six took Vincent to 42, but he then lofted a high catch to deep cover, bringing to an end a partnership of 107 that had begun to look very threatening to South Africa.

Gareth Hopkins, running very quickly between the wickets, came in and played a little cameo as he nudged the ball around, turning ones into twos and sneaking in the occasional boundary.

But then came the deciding blow, as Hall bowled Fulton, trapped Ross Taylor in front, and then castled Canning first ball with 13 runs still needed. An inside edge from Walmsley took it to seven off seven, but then a sensational bit of fielding off the last ball of the over had Walmsley run out for 5, and seven runs were needed off the last over.

Jeetan Patel was then run out first ball, and it had gone all pear-shaped for New Zealand. There was more drama, as Alfonso Thomas bowled his second beamer of the innings, and had to be removed from the attack. Morkel was called on to complete the over, and bowled Martin to seal the win. From 284 for 4 New Zealand had been skittled for 292. Hopkins was left stranded on 49 and the 2,500 spectators present had once again received their money's worth.